Revisiting Colombo 1963

[JoelTurner]

This was John D'Amico

Lombardino crew

GIOVANNI D'AMICO
DOB: Mar 19 1891
POB: Villabate, Italy
F: Domenico D'Amico
M: Angelina Lombardo
W: Anna Chiacchiaro
Occupation: Owner of pork store - meat market
Address: 520 North 7th St, Newark, NJ
Death: Jul 29 1980 (Could be wrong person)

[JoelTurner]

Here’s a possible member: Gaspare D’Amico

Lombardino crew (?) - Living in Puerto Rico

GASPARE D’AMICO
DOB: Sep 22 1886
POB: Villabate, Italy
F: Domenico D’Amico
M: Angelina Lombardo
W: Angela Dominica
Occupation: Merchant
Address: Cond. Lago Vista Apt.2, Levittown, Toa Baja, PR
Previous Addresses: 221 8th Ave, Newark, NJ; 162 Montclair Ave, Newark, NJ
Death: Oct 1 1975 at Saturce, PR

Gaspare was the former boss of the Newark family. They appear to have broken up after his father was killed in Feb 1937 whereupon he moved to Puerto Rico.

Unlike his brother, he was never confirmed as a Colombo member but it’s pretty likely.

[Angelo Santino]

Anthony Augello
The Gawk 40 7/21/1923
Brooklyn, NY
87 33 Ave, Queens, NY
William Augullo
Jeanette Gargano
Soldier

Father William I cannot find his immigration records but his father was Antonino and in 1910 the family lived on Johnson Ave in Brooklyn and there was a match of someone coming from Santa Ninfa, both of which are linked to the Bonannos. Anthony's mother Giovanna Gargano appears to be from Rome.

[B.]

Augello was definitely a Colombo. There were a few Colombos from inland Trapani who lived in Bonanno-linked neighborhoods. Clemenzas and maybe a couple others, so he'd fit in with them.

Any idea where the Alois come from? They were in Williamsburg/Greenpoint.

[Angelo Santino]

Augello was definitely a Colombo. There were a few Colombos from inland Trapani who lived in Bonanno-linked neighborhoods. Clemenzas and maybe a couple others, so he'd fit in with them.

Any idea where the Alois come from? They were in Williamsburg/Greenpoint.

Riesi, Caltanissetta, Sicilia on their father's side, mother's side just said "Italy."

Have you looked into Joe Colombo? His father was born in Brazil, do you know where the lineages of his parents stem from?

[Angelo Santino]

Are Alphonse and Salvatore brothers? I'm seeing different parents.

For Salvatore I have Angelo and Theresa. For Alphonse I'm seeing Joseph Genevieve Caputo

[Eline2015]

Augello was definitely a Colombo. There were a few Colombos from inland Trapani who lived in Bonanno-linked neighborhoods. Clemenzas and maybe a couple others, so he'd fit in with them.

Any idea where the Alois come from? They were in Williamsburg/Greenpoint.

Riesi, Caltanissetta, Sicilia on their father's side, mother's side just said "Italy."

Have you looked into Joe Colombo? His father was born in Brazil, do you know where the lineages of his parents stem from?

Magaddino Described him as calabrese

[B.]

I've seen Colombo's father mentioned as Calabrese several times but never verified.

I remember thinking his mother might be Sicilian.

[PolackTony]

I've seen Colombo's father mentioned as Calabrese several times but never verified.

I remember thinking his mother might be Sicilian.

Antonio Durante Colombo was born in 1898 in Sao Paolo. His father was Giuseppe Colombo, and the only documents I found for him just state Italy. Some family trees have Antonio’s mother as Livia Meringolo, who was born in Italy and died in Brazil. If that was her name, than she at least was almost certainly Calabrese, as Meringolo is practically diagnostic to Cosenza province.


Joe Colombo’s mother was Caterina Lonardo, who was born in 1903 in Brooklyn to Lorenzo Lonardo and Francesca Licata, who married in Manhattan in 1897. Lorenzo actually died in Chicago in 1933, apparently after having visited San Jose, where several of Caterina’s siblings moved. I haven’t yet been able find anything for Caterina’s parents’ origins beyond Italy, but by their surnames it should be clear that they were indeed Sicilian.

[B.]

Yep, that's exactly why I was thinking it. Suggests they could be from Agrigento.

With that in mind, it's not fair to think of Joe Colombo as the first "non-Sicilian" boss of the Colombos. Paternal heritage obviously dominates in these circles but if he was half Western Sicilian that's not nothin'.

[JoelTurner]

Where was Persico's family from?

[B.]

The name is generally found in the north, like Lombardy and Turin. I've never dug in to verify the exact origin of these ones.

The first 100% mainlander to join the Family admin was consigliere Joe Yacovelli given Colombo appears to be half-Sicilian. Yac is an outlier in general, coming from Little Italy and becoming NJ captain over the mostly Sicilian NJ decina. He was also briefly acting boss when Joe Colombo was shot.

Persico didn't become boss until the early 1980s, so that'd be the first 100% mainlander to become official boss depending on his maternal heritage.

Going back to the Profaci era, Frank Abbatemarco was a mainland member likely since the 1920s or early 1930s, then if Nino Colombo was made he'd be another. Sebastiano Nani was Sicilian but from Ragusa province so he's at least outside of the traditional recruitment grounds. Probably some others I'm unaware of.

[PolackTony]

Where was Persico's family from?

Carmine John Persico Sr was born in 1909 in BK to Marco Persico and Angelina Granaldi of San Fele, Potenza, Basilicata (near Muro Lucano, where a bunch of Chicago members like the Cerones were from). His wife, Assunta Plantamura (the Persico brothers’ mother), was born in 1911 in BK to Michele Plantamura of Nocera Inferiore, Salerno, Campania, and Caterina Lauro of the neighboring comune of Nocera Superiore (DeCav member Louie Consalvo, Genovese members Nick Buffania and Edward Lanzieri, and Chicago capo Joe Ferriola also had ancestry from Nocera Inferiore).

[Angelo Santino]

The name is generally found in the north, like Lombardy and Turin. I've never dug in to verify the exact origin of these ones.

The first 100% mainlander to join the Family admin was consigliere Joe Yacovelli given Colombo appears to be half-Sicilian. Yac is an outlier in general, coming from Little Italy and becoming NJ captain over the mostly Sicilian NJ decina. He was also briefly acting boss when Joe Colombo was shot.

Persico didn't become boss until the early 1980s, so that'd be the first 100% mainlander to become official boss depending on his maternal heritage.

Going back to the Profaci era, Frank Abbatemarco was a mainland member likely since the 1920s or early 1930s, then if Nino Colombo was made he'd be another. Sebastiano Nani was Sicilian but from Ragusa province so he's at least outside of the traditional recruitment grounds. Probably some others I'm unaware of.

The guys that followed this rare trend, like Carmine Lombardozzi and Frank Milano, must have been very charismatic figures to not only be accepted by Sicilians- from Agrigento no less- but to be chosen as someone to represent them as capodecina or boss, makes them all the more interesting. It goes back to what Calderone stated- anyone good enough to join is good enough to lead. And it goes against this idea of Sicilian or Mafia clannishness, rather than a hard block is more like a very tall wall and if one makes it over then its all in.

[B.]

For sure, depending on the era and Family. As soon as they opened membership to other types of members there was no ceiling on them, but we know they initially limited who could join so there was a hard block that got gradually more permissive. 1931 is a different period than 1905 in this regard, just as 1963 is different from 1931.